The eBook explains the different strands of CSR and suggests several ways in which resellers can raise their standing, such as ensuring staff are well looked-after and motivated, caring for the environment or raising money for charities. It also outlines the benefits that CSR can bring to a business and points out that there can be a downside too, especially if policies are not properly planned and implemented.
Darren Farnden, Head of Marketing at Entanet, says the company decided to publish the eBook after detecting that CSR is becoming more important to customers and sensing some confusion about what it really means and entails. “CSR is a big subject but it is just as important to smaller businesses as it is to large corporations. It’s not just about multinationals ensuring they don’t use child labour, becoming carbon neutral or using sustainable resources, it’s about managing your reputation and ensuring that you are seen as a company that contributes to the general well-being of society, as well as simply providing employment and driving business activity.”
Resellers should not dismiss the subject as being irrelevant to them, he cautions. “Customers today are well-informed. They can research your business online and social media means that reputations – good and bad – can spread fast. Building a good name can make a real difference. According to the UK Small Business Consortium, almost nine out of ten consumers are more likely to buy from a company that supports and engages in activities to improve the environment and contribute to society.”
The eBook also points out that there are no hard and fast rules about what you should or should not do. Farnden says: “The way you approach CSR is really down to the objectives and priorities of your business. But it is becoming more important to customers and something we feel all resellers need to be aware of and consider for themselves.”
Entanet’s own CSR activities include the provision of valued facilities, benefits and training for its staff and a variety of fund-raising activities for local charities including a team from the company competing in an annual Dragon Boat race for a local hospice. Entanet also offers paperless billing options and online processes.
The eBook, ‘The importance of CSR’, is available for free download at http://info.enta.net/importance-of-csr.
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